Corey Simon is an associate professor in the Duke Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, senior fellow in the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and member of the Duke Clinical Research Institute. He trained at the University of Florida (UF) Clinical and Translational Science Institute and UF Pain Research Intervention Center of Excellence; where he was mentored by physical therapist and PIPT expert Dr. Steven George, and pain psychologists Drs. Joseph Riley and Roger Fillingim. Since coming to Duke in 2016, Corey has been mentored by pain psychologist Dr. Francis Keefe – a pioneer in pain coping skills training and PIPT. 

As a geriatric pain researcher, Corey’s uses precision medicine science to identify older adults at risk for high-impact chronic pain (HICP) and disability; and subsequently, develop tailored biobehavioral interventions for this high-risk subgroup. As part of his principal work, Corey leads a multidisciplinary team examining the interface between stress, inflammation, and movement-evoked pain. This interface is quantified in a novel laboratory paradigm, where peripheral stress and immune biochemical biomarkers (e.g., serum cortisol, pro-inflammatory cytokines) are measured before and after evocation of an acute stressor (e.g., muscle injury, painful physical activity). Through this work, they have discovered novel inflammatory effects to acute pain and implications of high stress reactivity on movement-evoked pain, physical function, and psychological distress in older adults with HICP. 

In addition to his principal research, Corey has extensive experience in psychologically-informed intervention development, implementation, and education. In the AIM-Back Trial, he led the development of a sequenced-care treatment pathway of stratified and matched care for Veterans with low back pain at risk for disability based on psychological distress. Subsequently, this pathway was embedded in nine VA sites nationally and provided care to over 800 Veterans. Corey also developed the Duke Doctor of Physical Therapy foundational course in Pain Science; introductory PIPT elective for second-year Duke DPT students; and introductory PIPT module for Duke DPT orthopaedic PT residents.

Joel Bialosky, PT, PhD is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.  Dr. Bialosky worked for over 14 years clinically primarily in orthopedic and musculoskeletal physical therapy settings before leaving clinical practice to pursue his PhD and a career in academia.  He is a fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists.  He received a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Ithaca College in 1990 and a master’s degree in musculoskeletal physical therapy from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998.  He graduated from the University of Florida with a PhD in Rehabilitation Science in 2008 with his research interests focused on the mechanisms of manual therapy in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain.  His current research program is focused on 1.) contextual mechanisms of rehabilitation interventions and 2.) neuroplastic changes in pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders and their response to common rehabilitation interventions.  

Dr. Mark Bishop is Professor and Director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Florida. Dr Bishop is part of a vibrant pain research community at UF and studies factors that lead to the development and maintenance of musculoskeletal pain, as well factors that influence the outcome of conservative management of pain. His work funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Florida Department of Health, as well as by foundations such as the Brooks Endowment, the Ida Mae Foundation, and Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapy. He is the current Director of the Center for Pain Research and Behavioral Health at the University of Florida.

Dr. Elizabeth Lane has practiced in outpatient orthopedics since 2009 and teaching in post-professional continuing education since 2013. She achieved her clinical doctorate in physical therapy from the Medical College of Georgia. She holds board-certification in orthopaedics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Utah under the direction of Julie Fritz, PT, Ph.D., FAPTA in 2020 with a focus on neuroscience education for those with chronic spinal pain. She has published high-quality, peer-reviewed papers in pain neuroscience education, management of chronic low back pain, and telehealth considerations. She currently holds a research faculty position at the University of Utah. Elizabeth also received the Rose Excellence in Research Award from the APTA in 2022.